A Pox On Both Your Houses

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R A V E N S F J O R D

RUMORS

For two years, the Jords have waged a war to conquer the Therian continent. Ravensfjord’s military might is unmatched in terms of numbers, training, and technology as a result of its Dwarven ties and access to natural resources. After occupying and annexing Dendrum, the Jords now fight an Insurgency in Old Dendrum holdouts in the southwest of the continent. To the north, the Jords seek to enslave or destroy the Khorian people.

The brutal prince Thorgar Ravenson has just taken the throne of the Raven King. Suspicious circumstances surround his father’s death; it seems the King was poisoned at the Feast of the Sea Treaty. Though Bjornir Ravenson II ruled with an iron fist, Thorgar’s Ravensfjord looks to be a brutal regime of total control and violent tyranny, hostile to nonbelievers, Unjords, and magic users alike.

Also called Tomb Rot and Mortalis, the Tar Pox has confounded doctors, priests, and alchemists alike. First seen just before the war (notably when it took the life of Dendrum’s stewardess), it has only spread and intensified since the first outbreak. It is still unclear how the virus is spread, but most believe that fire can kill the spread of the virus.

Unnatural Winter

As of the last fall, the climate in Ravensfjord has seen a dramatic decrease in temperature and increase in precipitation, resulting in famine and restricted travel. Some say the Winter Court of the Fey are at work. Some say the old spirits are angry for the Jords turning to their new gods. Others claim that Odin and his kin are punishing the unfaithful. Snow falls more often than not, even in the southern steppes, and blizzards are not uncommon. Indeed, the famine threatens the war effort and has stirred anger and desperation in the people of Ravensfjord, forcing the Jords to remain on the offensive to claim farmlands in Dendrum.

Xenophobic Zealotry

Because of the damage and division caused by war, famine, and the pox, a new sect of the Jordic faith has risen to national power, spreading doctrines of xenophobia, Jordic racial superiority, extreme nationalism, slavery, antimagery, and birthright conquest. At the head of this sect is the High Priestess Valyana of Norre, who sits on the High Council of Ravensfjord and acts as its spiritual minister.

Haunted Ruins of Ancient Power

Ravensfjord is home to the remains of the ancient tribes, and even hints of lost civilizations, such as Kjorva, the origin of the Khorians and the Jords. Most ruins, tombs, and hidden places of the old tribes have been looted, destroyed, or lost. Legends say that there is forgotten knowledge, technology, and power of unimaginable magnitude hidden deep in such places. However, few who go to these places return unscathed if at all. Folklore tells of a forbidden discovery that plunged these ancient cultures into obscurity. Many believe these places to be haunted, guarded, trapped, or otherwise inhabited by hazardous and otherworldly things.

The forest covering Northeastern Theria is one of the oldest and most mysterious places in the world, containing intense primordial energies. It is even said to be home of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. While plenty of these lands are inhabited and cultivated by Jords and Khorians alike, the greater part of the Ravenskogen lies beyond the grasp of human hands. In the north, the forest is relatively unclaimed by any, and is said to be the lands of the elements themselves, the Fey, and other ancient powers that prefer to remain in isolation. In the east lie Suravenskogen and Njarskogen, both the ancestral homes of the Sylvan elves, and their capital Cu Turil. The elves have shut their doors to guard against the pox, though the Jords have taken some of their lands within the last century. Farthest southeast is Fangmire, a dangerous swamp populated by trolls and deadly beasts.